Why.............

..........Have they put 25 gloves in the box.....?

Felicity has flown in....

I arrived home to find the postman had left one of those cards which said tried to leave parcel but no one home, wasn't the normal postie, he would have left it in the porch for me to find. All is well though, I knew exactly where the postie was, just up the road so left my bag and clutching the said card went to meet him. He saw me waiting, and exclaimed number 21, I replied yes........... He handed me a small brown box, I knew instantly - FELICITY! (I purchased her from here)

Still looking a bit fed up she has now happily landed awaiting for Christmas!

Stir Up Sunday!

Traditionally Christmas Puddings are made on this day, the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent. I don't make them because I end up wiping windows and walls all over the house, what I need is the Christmas Pudding recipe where I can cook it in the oven - there must be one out there....... I digress. I made my Christmas cake today, I know it's a bit late but never mind! Because I use a very very old fashioned recipe which has worked for at least three generations of my family to my knowledge where the eggs are weighed first to weigh accurately the other main ingredients it has always worked for me for any type of cake! I have put two recipes on this blog, the original and the one I have adapted for people who have a nut allergy. I'm glad I have an electric mixer, somehow I don't think I could manage mixing the butter and sugar to a pale consistency! I also prepared my Mincemeat for the Mince Pies today too!

My version

Weight of 4 eggs in their shells
Butter, Muscavado Sugar, Self Raising Flour + one extra ounce of flour

1lb 10oz Mixed fruit (doesn’t have to be accurate near enough will do)

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Mixed Spice

4 oz Glace Cherries
2tablespoons of Brandy

Cream together the butter and sugar and eggs till very pale in colour.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then add to the mixture.

Fold in gently.

Add the Brandy and stir in gently

Bake in a warm oven, 140°C (gas mark 1) for about 3 hours,

test after about 2hours
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Original Receipt

Weight of 4 eggs in
Butter, Muscavado Sugar, Plain Flour

plus 1/2 teaspoon of Baking powder
1oz of Ground Almonds

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Mixed Spice

6 oz Currants

6 oz Sultanas

6 oz Raisins

6 oz Mixed Candied Peel

4 oz Glace Cherries
2oz Blanched Almonds
Brandy, Port or Rum
　
Cream together the butter and sugar and eggs till very pale in colour.

Add the eggs one at a time slowly.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then add to the mixture.

Finally add the brandy, rum or port and fold in gently.

Bake in a warm oven for about 3 hours, test after about 2hours

Teabread!

I cooked this recipe again............

It looked like this

Which after cooking looked like this

Nice buttered with a cup of tea!

Please ignore the fact that the fruit sank to the bottom!

Not one of my better show and tells!

Armistice

at the Eleventh Hour,
on the Eleventh Day, of the Eleventh Month

The Soldier
If I should die, think only this of me:

That there's some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

A body of England's, breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
　
By Rupert Brook 1887 1915

last sonnet written1914

Remembrance Sunday

We will

Remember Them

Carrot Cake Cupcakes II

Traditionally Carrot Cake is made with oil,

I am not very fond of oil in cakes so here is my recipe

Weigh the eggs still in shells,

the weight of Eggs in Butter (softened), Sugar, and Flour

Half teaspoon Mixed Spice, Carrot finely grated,

about 3oz chopped nuts (optional)

Beat the the Eggs, Butter and Sugar until white in colour

Sift Flour and Mixed Spice and gently fold in to mixture

Gently fold in Carrot and Nuts

Spoon into Cake Cases

Cook 180 degrees centigrade (350 degrees Fahrenheit, Gas 4)
for about 20 to 25 minutes

Butter Icing

4ozs Softened Butter, 8ozs Icing Sugar

Beat together and pipe onto cakes

add Chocolate Sprinkles (optional)